16 April 2014

SABIC launches new renewable polyolefins portfolio

SABIC announced that it will launch its first portfolio of certified renewable polyolefins, certified under the ISCC Plus certification scheme, which involves strict traceability and requires a chain of custody based on a mass balance system

Renewable Feedstocks Chain of Custody

The portfolio, which includes renewable polyethylenes (PE) and polypropylenes (PP), responds to the increasing demand for sustainable materials from SABIC’s customers, most notably in the packaging industry, and is applicable for all its polyolefins grades, potentially for all market applications.

SABIC is the first petrochemicals company to be able to produce renewable second generation PP & PE. SABIC has a unique position in Europe to be able to crack heavy renewable feedstocks made from waste fats and oils in its assets.

“SABIC’s market-leading move into the certified renewable polyolefins area is linked to the needs of our customers who increasingly require sustainable packaging solutions in response to both consumer and regulatory demands”, says Mosaed Al-Ohali, EVP Polymers, SABIC. “It is a winning solution for our customers, as these materials can be converted readily on their existing equipment with no investment needed, and can contribute to an improvement of sustainability of their products”, he added.

To develop the new renewable portfolio, SABIC used its ‘Chemistry that Matters™’ approach in working closely with our customers to create materials that meet the growing requirements for sustainable materials which do not impact the food chain.

“We have optimized our technology to allow the production of renewable PP and PE using renewable feedstocks, which are made from waste fats and oils and are not in direct competition with the food chain, with equal performance to those produced with fossil fuels,” says Mark Vester Business Leader LL-LDPE, SABIC. “This technology has the potential to revolutionize both the plastics and packaging industry across Europe and around the world,” he continues.” The validity of SABIC’s concept is confirmed by an internal Life Cycle Assessment.”

SABIC worked closely with the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) organization to prove the sustainability of the new feedstock. Independent third party auditors checked and ensured the reliable use of the mass balance system within SABIC.

In addition, SABIC worked closely with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs under a Green Deal, on the concept of ‘sustainability certificates’, with the ultimate objective to encourage the production and use of bio-based polyolefins within the industry.

The ISCC Plus certified polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) materials will be produced initially at SABIC’s production facilities at Geleen in the Netherlands.